My research this module seems to have gone down a nuclear theme and I’m very glad I have discovered the Places Journal. I would recommend this website and all the articles it carries as it has helped me critically contextualise my work further. While searching through the website in the ‘Preservation’ section I came across an interesting article by Lars Nowark, ‘Traces of Traces On the documentation of military landscapes by four American photographers: Richard Misrach, Jan Faul, Peter Goin, and David Hanson.’ Published June 2017.
https://placesjournal.org/article/traces-of-traces/
In this article he talks about military landscapes having a destructive and construction presence, and being a by product of military war he says,“It is useful to have an analytical framework for comparing traces of different kinds. Although many military interventions are destructive, we must also attend to constructive operations such as the building of bunkers, railroads, and airfields. On another axis, we can identify material changes in the landscape as either subtractive or additive. We can thus plot four quadrants where these categories overlap. Organizing these traces helps us see them clearly.” (Nowark, 2017)
Although I wont be discussing that here today. I wanted to make a note of this in my CJR for the next module, to inform my practice on the physicality’s of the buildings being constructive. As I know by my research that these military buildings actually helped the landscape with utilities for local communities.
Peter Goin featured in this article, which I then researched his body of work Nuclear Landscapes. I liked the way that the title has been layered right on top of the imagery. I’m still debating exactly what to do with the context and title/captions to go with my work. Nowark says, “Goin’s Nuclear Landscapes — with one exception — includes not only titles, but also explanatory captions, as well as an autobiographical foreword and a rich historiographical introduction. When Goin presents his work in other contexts, such as in an exhibition space or on his website, he superimposes explanatory cutlines on the photos.” (Nowark, 2017)
http://www.onlinenevada.org/nuclear-landscapes-nevada-test-site-peter-goin
I like how the cutline literally cuts through his work, they are juxtaposed against the sublime landscape. The imagery on first glance is beautiful, a dessert that you perhaps might like to explore but then the caption is a punctum into the realisation of what you are actually viewing….nuclear testing facilities.
Although my work doesn’t resonate the same feeling, different subject. That’s probably the quickest way to get the information to the viewer if the text was on the image. Which would work best like Nowark said in an exhibition format.
Critical Research Journal 